Bus carrying Russian tourists crashes in Belgium, 5 killed

“According to information available to us, five have
died: the bus driver, the tour guide, the head of the group and two teenagers
while 17 are injured, including five in grave condition. This is the
information we received from the Belgium crisis center. According to their
information, the bus was carrying 43 people,” Shchegolkova said.

The bus accident occurred on Sunday morning.
International media reports said a Polish bus carrying Russian youngsters aged
15-17 crashed off a highway in Ranst near the northern port of Antwerp, killing
at least five.

Russian Union of Tourist Industry spokeswoman Irina
Tyurina said the bus was carrying a total of 39 people, of whom 31 were
youngsters and eight adults, with all of them from Russia’s southern Volgograd
Region.

A plane of Russia’s Emergencies Ministry is ready to
fly to Belgium to provide medical assistance to Russians who suffered in the
bus crash, the ministry’s press office said.

“An Il-76 plane equipped with medical modules and with
doctors and psychologists aboard has been readied to fly to Belgium,” the press
office said, adding the plane could bring the Russian tourists hurt in the
accident to Moscow.